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As parents, Rachel and I are supposed to teach our kids what to fear and what not to be afraid of. We try teaching them not to run out in the street, and don’t put tinfoil in the sockets. But, as my kids live with us they also learn some unhealthy fears. Some of you grew up in homes where your dads taught you that boys don’t express their feelings or show emotion, so you have young men growing up who are afraid to say how they feel or show how they feel. There are some women who have learned never to trust a man. Our life experiences teach us what to fear. Things have happened in the past that are so terrible, that we will do anything to make sure it doesn’t repeat. We will take every measure possible to not experience that feeling again. Our present day fears are fueled by our past life experiences. I remember being a little kid in elementary school and kids coming up to me saying I have never seen that many freckles on a person. Do you have any idea how many freckles you have? The kids would constantly tease me about my freckles. My friends even came up with names for me – the standard was freckle face but my favorite was spotty. I was ashamed of how I looked, I even tried to find ways to get rid of my freckles. I was afraid of how I looked and I was afraid of growing up and having people make fun of me for the rest of my life. Terrible life experiences create in us fears. These fears often go underground for a while and we don’t think about them, but then something will happen or someone will say something that will cause that fear to rise up.
TRANS: We have take 4 weeks to discuss our fears and God’s command to not fear. This is the last message in our series entitled When Fear Has You In Its Grip. It is my sincere hope that our discussion today will help many of you overcome your fears. There is a passage in the book of Luke where Jesus is teaching the people to stop being afraid, and at the end of the teaching Jesus gives them and us the tool, the key to overcoming simple and very deep fears. I invite you to turn to Luke chapter 12, and if you would like pull out the sermon notes from the program.
TEXT: In Luke 12, Jesus takes fear head on. Fear is a tool that our sin and Satan use to get us to not listen to God. But instead, our fears cause us to take matters into our own hands. We believe that in the midst of a fear, if we just do what we think is best then we will take care of the situation that generated the fear. vv.1,4 “when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees…4I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.” Jesus first tells them don’t fear the Pharisees or the religious who threaten your lives if you follow the Son of God. Jesus then tells them not to fear when they have to give reasons for what they believe. vv.11-12 “11When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." Finally, Jesus tells then not to worry about normal things, everyday things. vv.22 “Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” Do you see how Jesus started with don’t fear death, then moved to don’t fear defending yourself, then moved to don’t fear everyday needs? Jesus is arguing from the greater to the lesser. Don’t fear the worst thing but also don’t fear the simple things. God’s command is clear – don’t be afraid.
But, there is a disconnect between being told not to fear and actually stopping the fear. As a kid, I was told not to be afraid of monsters and the boogey man, and I was correctly informed that there was no such things as monsters and boogey men. Being told that fact did not end my fear. It was only when I owned the truth – when I believed that there was no such things then I stopped being afraid. God through the Bible is telling us to end our fears, stop being afraid. But, we will not stop until we own the reason – when God’s truth becomes our truth for not being afraid, then we put our fears to death.
Let’s say we were there that day Jesus was teaching, and he kept saying don’t fear this, stop being afraid of that, we would want to know one thing – why can I give up my fear? Why can I stop being afraid of death of a loved one? Why can I stop being afraid of staying single? Why can I stop being afraid? Here is Jesus’ answer: Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
The bottom line, the rock solid foundation, for why Jesus says you no longer need to be afraid of anything is the pleasure your heavenly father has in giving you His kingdom.
Jesus says to us today – stop being afraid, fear not…why…because it is you Heavenly Father’s desire and good pleasure to give you something more than what you are afraid of losing. God wants to give you the kingdom. So, what does God promise to give us? All he promises to give us is the kingdom of God. The magnitude of this gift is felt when we realize that the unspeakable privileges of it are secondary to the main reward. In the kingdom, we will inherit the earth and the world, but this is secondary. In the kingdom, we will judge angels, but this too is secondary. In the kingdom, we will reign on earth with Christ, our bodies will be made new, God will wipe away every tear, death will be no more, there will be no crying, no pain, no fear, and we will sit on the very throne of the king of kings…but all these are secondary privileges to the kingdom. Oh, what could be better than all these secondary privileges of the kingdom?
The main reward of the kingdom, the reward above all others, is that in the kingdom we will be filled with the same love God the Father has for God the Son. This may not sound like much, but for those of you who have children you may appreciate it more. Imagine how much I love my children – my Kezia and Elliana; oh, how I love them; I would do anything for them. Just imagine if I could love you with the same love I have for them. A parent’s love for his child is awesome in strength, but just imagine how much more the Father’s love for Jesus. Jesus prayed that the Father would fill us believers with the same love, Jesus prayed “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world…26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (John 17:24-26) Jesus prayed that we would see God’s glory, but even more than that Jesus prayed that the very love the Father has for the Son might be in us. This is the soul’s end – the blessing beyond which no better can be imagined or conceived: an infinite, eternal love between the Father and the Son flowing out of the Holy Spirit and filling the souls of believers with immeasurable and everlasting joy.
Every believer is offered the kingdom. The kingdom has many excellent benefits now and into eternity, but the greatest and primary benefit of the kingdom is the Heavenly Father’s love for his believing children. This love is the key to unlocking the solution to our greatest fears. Should my children be afraid for their lives, should they fear they may die, should they fear where they will sleep, should they fear whether they will have clothes to wear? Of course not because their daddy – me – will do whatever is necessary to give them anything and everything from my kingdom, I will take care of them no matter what it takes. God is saying that to you today, if you are his child through faith, then the father’s love for you his child is the key, the tool, to casting our your fears. 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
Every we have can be overcome by God’s gift of the kingdom. It is God’s pleasure, his desire, to give you the same love He has for His Son. As a child we are to abide in our father’s love; as we feel fear coming on our heavenly father’s comforting words, his loving arms and embrace, his protection, will comfort us amid our greatest fears.
This sounds great. You know what it sounds like – don’t be afraid of the boogey man because there is no boogey man. Our fears don’t end because you told me not to be afraid but our fears end only when we own the truth, so how do we own it? How do we experience it? How do we grow in perfect love to cast out all our fears?
To become fearless, we must see that God is more than Lord, more than Savior, more than Master, He is our Heavenly Father. We must see God as our heavenly father, and see ourselves as his children. Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” We will never overcome our fears in our own strength. God designed us as children who need a strong father to protect us. If you truly desire to overcome your fears, then you will have to humble yourself like a child and run to your heavenly father for strength. My love for my kids is unbelievably strong; I am willing to climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest ocean to protect my kids. But, only when you see that God loves you more than you love your children will you begin to experience the Father’s perfect love that casts out fear.
I invite you to experience your Heavenly Father through this VIDEO.
Your heavenly Father wants you to know that you no longer have to be afraid, because as your father he wants to give you his kingdom. There are many great privileges in your father’s kingdom but the greatest is your father’s love. The love the Father has for the Son flows through the Spirit filling us. Live in this love and you will find your fears disappearing.
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